ORM EXERCISES 



^Mmi 




'^m^. 




























'% 



i.\^i\ 



(" 







Dedication 



of the 



Go>hernor Thomas Chittenden 
cMonument. 

(August i<^, 1896. 




-■ ^/\: 



J'/ 







;i!)j;\:;!.';iirrJM^?;! 






Exercises 



at the 



Dedication of the Monument, 



Erected by the State 



to 



Thomas Chittenden. 



First Governor of Vermont, 



at 



Williston, Vt., cAugust i9. 1896. 



525eSHS5SHSHSHSSSraSBSaSSSaSES2S3 



Published by order of the Legislature, 






I 



liURLINGTON : 

FKKH PRESS ASSOCIATION, 
printi:rs, hinders and stationers. 



The folluwiug joint resolution was adopted Ijy tlie Senate 
and House of Representatives at their biennial session in 1896 : 
Resolved hy the Senate and House of Representatives : 

That the secretary of state be directed to procure the print- 
ing of one thousand co})ies in ])ainphlet form of the ])roceedings 
aiul addresses at the dedication of the monument erected by the 
State to the memory of Vermont's first governor, Thomas Chit- 
tenden, to be disposed of as follows : 

To each meml)er of the senate and house of representatives 
one copy ; to each town and county clei'k one copy ; to each 
college, normal school, high school, academy and public lil)rary 
one copy ; to the governor, each of the heads of departments, 
and each judge of the supreme court one copy ; to the Vermont 
Historical Society one hundred copies; and the remainder to the 
state library, subject to the control of the trustees thereof. 

WILLIAAE A. LORD, 
S})eakei- of the House of Representatives. 
NELSON W. FISK, 

President of the Senate. 
Approved November 21, 1890, 
JOSIAH GROUT, 
Governor. 



AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE ERECTION OF A 
MONUMENT TO THE MEMORY OF THOMAS 
CHITTENDEN, THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF VER- 
MONT. 

It is herehy enacted hy the General Assemhly of the State of 
Yermont : 

Section 1. The sum of three thousand dollars is hereby 
appropriated to erect in the town of Williston in the county of 
Chittenden a suitable monument over the ojrave of Thomas Chit- 
tenden, tlie first governor of Vermont. 

Sec. 2. John Lester Barstow, Torrey E. Wales. A. C. 
Robinson, Henry Root and C. W. Brownell are hereby appointed 
commissioners to carry out the provisions of this act ; and the 
auditor of accounts is hereby directed to draw his order on the 
state treasurer for said sum of three thousand dollars in install- 
ments in favor of said commissioners at such times as they shall 
make application for the same ; provided, however, that the 
above sum shall be expended in the contract for and completion 
of such monument, and that suitable land properly graded and 
fenced upon which to erect such monument shall be procured 
and deeded to said counnissioners without expense to the state 
and that the sum of five hundred dollars procured by voluntary 
contributions or donated by the town of Williston shall be placed 
in the hands of said commissioners by them to be invested and 
the income therefrom expended as needed for the maintenance 
of said monument and grounds. 

Spx. 3. Said commission shall be perpetual, and in case of 
the death, resignation or incapacity of any commissioner, such 
vacancy shall be filled by the majority vote of the remaining 
members. 

Sec. 4. This act shall take effect from its passage. 

Approved November 14, 1894. 



REPORT FOR THE STATE COMMISSION. 



Acting under the provisions of the foregoing statute the 
commissioners undertook the work delegated to them. Mr. 
Henry Root, one of their numljer, purchased and caused to l)e 
conveyed to the commission (piite a Large and suital^le piece of 
ground just west of the old cemetery, so-called, in Williston, 
upon which, a few rods to the south-west from Gov. Chittenden's 
last resting place, the proposed monument has since been erected. 
The design finally selected by a majority of the commission was 
procured by Mr. Root at his own expense from Mr. J. C. 
"White, an architect of San Francisco, California. 

The base of the monument is al)Out ten feet square and 
weighs in the vicinity of fifteen tons. Above this are the pri- 
mary courses and on top of these a large block bearing on the 
front side in raised block letters the following inscription : 

1895 

VERMONT 

TO 

THOMAS CHITTENDEN 

ONE OF HER FOUNDERS 

AND HER FIRST GOVERNOR 

IJORM JANUARY 0, IToO 

DIED AUGUST 25, ITDT. 



On the back side of the block the inscription is in Roman 
letters, as follows : 

BORN IN EAST GUILFORD, CONN. 
A SAILOR AT EIGHTEEN. 
A COLONEL OF MILITIA AND SIX TIMES A MEMBER 
OF THE CONNECTICUT ASSEMBLY. 
SETTLED IN WILLISTON IN 1774. 
FORCED BY STRESS OF ^VAii TO ABANDON HIS HOME, 
HK REISIOVED TO ARLINGTON IN 1776 ; 
RETURNED IN 1787. 
AT DORSET JULY 1776. HE HELPED TO SHAPE 
THE FIRST COMPACT IN THE HISTORY 
OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE GRANTS. 
HE AIDED IN FORMULATING THE VERMONT 
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 
DELEGATE TO CONGRESS APRIL 1777. 
PRESIDENT OF THE CONVENTION 
WHICH FRAMED THE FIRST CONSTITUTION 
AND OF THE COUNCIL OF SAFETY. 

GOVERNOR 1778-1 780 AND 1790-1797. 

On one of the other two sides of the block is a large 
medallion, and on the other a ship, each cut in the granite with 
appropriate ornamentation. 

Above this is a smaller l)lock, on one side of which is a large 
representation of the Vermont coat of arms, and on the opposite 
side a 1)ook scroll with these words : 



<» 



CONSTITUTION OF 
VERMONT. 

JULY 3, 1777. 

OUT OF STOKM AND 
MANIFOLD I'KKII.S HOSE 

AN ENDURING STATE, 

THE HOME OF FEEEDOM 

AND UMl'V. 

Above this is the deer's head in l)ronze, whieli snrnionnts 
tlie whole. 

The material selected was the best Barre granite and the 
contract for doing the work was awarded to Marr A: (lordon of 
Barre, wlio undertook the same for the amount of the appro- 
priation. 

After the work was partially completed it was decided 
best to do more than was oriiiinally contemplated in the way of 
letteriiiii' or increased historical data, and the bill for such extra 
work, amounting to over four hundred dollars, was cheerfully 
contributed by Mr. Root. 

Besides purchasing the lot at an expense of some five 
hundred dollars, after the erection of the monument T\[r. Root 
caused the ground to be suitably graded, seeded and fenced 
without expense to the commission and agreeably to their 
requirements. 

The town of Williston, aided by a liberal contribution of 
two hundred ilollars from Col. E. A. Chittenden, placed in the 
hands of the commissioners the I'ccpiired sum of five hundred 
dollars the income of which is to be expended in the care of the 



10 

uionuineiit and the improvement of the grounds. This fund is 
deposited in the Burlington Savings Bank to tlie credit of the 
commissioners and subject to the order of the treasurer of the 
comnnssion, the Hon. Torrey E. Wales. 

The monument was put in place in October, 1895, and for- 
mally turned over as the property of tlie State August 19, 1896, 
but to remain in charge of and to be cared for by the commis- 
sion which is a perpetual body. 

Respectfully su1)mitted for the commissioners, 

By C. W. Brownell, Secretary. 



11 



COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS FOR 
DEDICATION. 



Gov. U. A. Woodbury, Chairman; J. 11. Robinson, Secre- 
tary; J. II. Maeoniber, Assistant Secretary. Williston — M. W. 
Clark, W. F. Whitney, M. ^Y. Chapman, AcUlisun I^ham, 1). L. 
Talcott, 11. M. Fay, II. S. Johnnjii, A. L. IJingliam, F. H. AVil- 
kins. Burlington — Hon. li. S. Taft, Hon. H. S. Peck, Hon. B. 
B. Smalley, Gen. T. S. Peck, Cant. II. E. Tuthcrly, Gen. AV. L. 
Greenleaf, Prof. J. E. Goodrich, Hon. W. J. Van Patten, C. W. 
Brownell, Col. II. W. Allen, Hon. Elias Lyman, Hon. Smith 
Wright, C. P. Smith, I). W. Kobinson, F. H. Wells, Joseph 
Anld, J. L. Southwick. Bolton — Hon. G. W. Stevens. Char- 
lotte— Dr. AY. II. H. Yarney. Colchester — Hon. A. J. Stevens. 
Essex — Flon. M. A. Bingham. Ilinesburgh^ — Hon. C. G. Peck. 
Huntington — F. II. Strong. -lericho— E. C. Fay. Milton — L. 
A. Jackson. Richmond — Fraid< B. Gillett. St. George — 
Henry Lawrence. Shell)urne — Col. AY. Seward AYebb. South 
Burlino-ton— H. H. AYheeler. AYestford— Heman AA"". Rice. 



EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 



Gen. W. L. (ireenleaf, P.urlington ; Hon. M. A. Bingham, 
Essex ; H. S. Johnson, Williston ; Dr. A, L. Lingham, Willis- 
ton ; C. AV. Brownell, Burlington. 



12 



COMMITTEE ON PROGRAMME AND 
PRINTING. 



Joseph Auld, Biirlini^ton ; Frank H. Wilkiiis, Williston ; 
Heman W. Allen, Burlino-ton. 



COMMITTEE ON GROUNDS. 



H. S. Johnson, Addison Ishani, L. H. Talcott, Junins Log- 
gins, Walter li. Tarbox, Williston. 



COMMITTEE ON ENTERTAINMENT. 



Dr. A. L. Bingham, M. W. Clark, Homer E. Wright, Elliott 
S. Miller, Williston ; C. P. Smith, Burlington. 



13 



DEDICATORY CEREMONIES 

AT WILLISTON, VT., 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1896. 



OFFICERS OF THE DAY. 

President, Hon. J. L. Barstow, Slielhiirne. 

Vice-Presidents, Hon. N. F. Dunsliee, Addison Co.; H. T. 
Eaton, Bennini»;ton Co.; .John C. Clark, Caledonia Co.; Col. ^Y. 
Seward Webh, Chittenden Co.; Hon. Z. M. Mansur, Essex Co.; 
Hon. F, Stewart Stranalian, Fraidvlin Co.; Hon. Edwin Adams, 
Grand Isle Co.; Hon. Frank Kenlield, Fanioille Co.; Hon. J. K. 
Darling, Orange Co.; F. W. Baldwin, Orleans Co.; Hon. F. D. 
Proctor, Rutland Co.; lion. W. P. Dillingham, AVashington Co.;; 
Hon. L. M. Read, AVindham Co.; Hon. W. AV. Stickney, AVind- 
sor Co. 

Clia])lain, Pi-of. -J. F. Goodrich, J>urliiigton. 

Marshal, Gen. A\^ L. Greenleaf, Burlington. 



14 
THE PROCESSION 



The procession was formed in front of tlie Town Hall under 
the direction of Gen. W. L. Greenleaf, Marshal, and moved at 
12:45 P. M., in the following order : 

1. Squadron Third Cavalry, U. S. A., Major Louis T. 
Morris, commanding. 

2. Band of First Regiment Vermont National Guard, T. R. 
Merrill, leader. 

3. Battalion First Regiment Vermont National Guard, 
Major Osman D. Clark, commanding. 

4. Section First Light Battery Vermont National Guard, 
Lieut. Herbert D. Waterman, commanding. 

5. Governor U. A. Woodbury and staff, consisting of Ad- 
jutant General Theodore S. Peck, Quartermaster General W. H. 
Gilmore, Judge Advocate General E. L. Bates, Surgeon General 
J. N. Jenne, and Colonels H. W Allen, J. W. Doty, A. B. 
Chandler and H. W. Hall, in carriages. 

Lieutenant-Governor Z. M. Mansur, ex-Governors J. L. 
Barstow, J. W. Stewart and E. J. Ormsbee, Hon. L. E. Chitten- 
den, Hon. G. G. Benedict, Prof. J. E. Goodrich, Afayor H. S. 
Peck and Rev. B. W. Atwell, in carriages. 

Major A. B. Valentine, G. W. Harmon and W. E. Hawkes, 
representing the Bennington Battle Monument Association, and 
other distinguished guests with representatives of the press, in 
carriages. 

On arrival at the cemetery the distinguished guests were 
conducted to the speaker's stand and the troops stationed about 
the monument where a large audience had gathered. 

The services were opened by Ex-Gov^ernor J. L. Barstow, 
President of the day, who spoke as follows : 



15 



EX GOV. BARSTOW'S REMARKS. 



Brief as the time lias l)eeii since the fonnntion of our State 
and nation, it still re(jnires an eifort of tlu' iniaii'ination and of 
the mind to rise to any pro]ier realization of the marvelous and 
immortal work perfoi-med hy their founders. 

The houndai'ies of the thirteen eoloni(>s were at fii'st dim and 
ohscure, often overdapping each other, and in the case of Ver- 
mont its territory was claimed hy three of the ori^'inal colonies 
and States as well as hy Great Britain. 

But its inhahitants were descendants of men who in Eng- 
land had already hegan the fight for lil)erty. and finding them- 
selves here, defended hy none and claimed hy all, they declared 
their independence aiul resolutely maintained to the end their 
invincihle determination to i-esist all encroachments upon their 
rights and liherties. 

Whittier caught their spirit where he makes them say : 

" Our vow is recorded, our banner unfurled, 
In the name of Vermont we defy all the world." 

The names of tlic leaders in this strife for fi'eedom are 
houseiiold words. Thomas Chittenden, Ethan and Ira Allen, 
Seth Warner, liememher Bakei", Jonas Fay and their associates 
are our patron saints. 

They were to \^ermont what Washington, Adams, .letferson 
and their compeers were to the great revolutionary struggle. 



16 



Together, their courage and skill on the field of battle and 
their far seeing wisdom in the council chamber, created upon 
new and untried foundations, a republic whose growth and 
development has astonished and dazzled the world. 

As Washington was the chosen leader on the larger Held, so 
in the constellation of wonderful men that guided the infant 
destinies of Vermont, Thomas Chittenden was the star of fii'st 
magnitude. He was our patriarch. He was our Washington. 

It is to his memory, after the lapse of nearly a century, that 
Vermont has erected a monument. 

At the dedication of the Bennington Battle monument, one 
of Vermont's gifted sons uttered a sentiment so applicable to 
every such occasion that I beg to read it in your presence. 

He said, "The monument on yonder hill will stand un- 
guarded. It is finished, and it represents a complete event. But 
the laws and institutions under which the people enjoy prosper- 
ity and happiness, equalled by no others in the world, need to be 
guarded eveiy hour. They are always menaced by aggressive 
interests from without, and endangered by false teachings and 
insidious inlluences within. Let the visible monument be a con- 
stant reminder of the invisible spirit of patriotism, political 
equality and social progress which formed the great purpose of 
the revolutionary heroes, and which must equally animate the 
people of to-day and to-morrow, or the time will come when 
instead of throngs of peace and order, there will be processions 
clamoring for bread, or raising the red tlag of anarchy." 

This, fellow-citizens, is to my mind, the lesson of the day. 



IT 

The nioiuimeiit liaviiii;' l)oen completed, the good citizens of 
the good town of Williston were unwilling to have tlie event 
pass without some fitting j)ul)lic dedicatory exercises. 

So tliey hiive invited you to jiarticipate with them in the 
glories of their gala day, when with hanners tiying from every 
house, with trumpet and drum and booming cannon they seek to 
revive and perpetuate the meuioiw of the distinguislied public 
service of their most illustrious citizen. 

They have responded witli geuerons ])ublic spirit to every call 
connected with the monument. 

You are witnesses of their hospitality and liberal arrange- 
ments. 

In tlieii- behalf I l)id you a cordial welcome to this beauti- 
ful towu, which even in its pi-imeval days was selected by Thomas 
Chittenden as his future home. 

The connnittee in charge have conferred upon me the honor 
and the very pleasant and agreeable duty of presiding over these 
public ceremonies, ;ind [ therefore ask this assemblage of citi- 
zens, this meeting of patriotic; men, women and children, to give 
their attention while prayer is offered V)y the Chaj)lain of the 
day. Professor J. E. Goodrich of the University of Vermont. 



18 
PRAYER, 



O God of our fathers, God of the i^enerations to Ije ; we 
have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what 
work tliou didst in tlieir days, in the times of old ; for thej got 
not the land in possession l)y their own sword, neither did their 
OMai arm save them ; hut thy right hand and thine arm, and the 
light of thy countenance, l)ecause thou hadst a favor nnto them. 

We thank thee for the strength and courage of the pioneers 
of this state ; for their self-denial and patient endurance of pri- 
vation ; for their fervid patriotism and stout resistance to wrong ; 
for the honorable peace which thou gavest them wdien the con- 
test was ended. 

And in particular we render thanks for him whose honora- 
ble career we commemoi-ate to-day ; for his steadfastness in da3'S 
of peril ; for his strong hand at the helm of the State ; for his 
unfaltering conhdence in the issue of the struggle; for his prac- 
tical wisdom in the control of men and the conduct of political 
affairs. We bless thee for the men whom thou didst raise up to 
aid in shaping the counsels of the infant republic ; for their 
sagacity, their fertility of resource, their promptitude and energy 
in action ; for their daring and address in meeting both open and 
secret foes. 

And we thank thee that the spirit of patriotism did not die 
with the fathers ; tliat in later days their sons proved themselves 
not unworthy of tlieir parentage; that there were those who 
counted not their lives dear unto them, but jeoparded them in 
the high places of the field ; we bless thee for what they dared 
in defense of the betrayed fatherland, and for what by thy favor 
thev achieved. 



19 

We would i)niise thee to-dav for the peace which reigns in 
all onr horJers, for the rich promise of the harvest, for just 
and A\ holesonie laws, for a stable govern nient, for the clmr(di and 
the school and the countless blessings which proceed from a 
libertv founded in justice. 

And we pray that the favor shown to oui- fathers and to us 
who are now before thee, may not be withdrawn from those who 
shall succeed us. May that great country which is the Mother of 
us all still be dear to the heart of all who shall live in our l)or- 
ders. And may religion and intelligence and the spii-it of fra- 
ternity go hand in hand with patriotism ; niay the heroic and the 
gentlei' virtues of our sires still pei'[)etuate themselves in gener- 
ations yet unl)orn, and the blessings vouchsafed unto the fathers 
be 1)ut an earnest of those which thou slialt bestow in days to 
come. May the debates and divisions of the hour be so guided 
and overi'uled that the national honor shall receive no stain, that 
sectional jealousies may disappear, and the land gathei- new 
strength in a quickened sense of brotherhood and a closer unity. 

Almighty (lod, whose kingdom is everlasting and })ower 
infinite; iiave mercy uj)on this whole land; and so rule the 
hearts of thy servants the President of the United States, the 
Governor of this State, and all others in authority, that they, 
knowing whose ministers they are, may above all things seek thy 
honor and glory; and that we and all the peo[)le, duly consider- 
ing whose authority they l)eai", may faithfully and obediently 
honor them, in thee, and for thee, accordini;- to thy blessed word 
and ordinance; through Jesus Christ our J^ord, who with thee 
and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth ever, one (lod, world 
without end. 

Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 



20 
TRANSFER OF THE MONUMENT. 



Ex-GoY. Barstow, as chairman of the inonninent commis- 
sion, then addressed Gov. Woodbury as follows : 
Gov. Woodbury : 

One of the most timely, patriotic and creditable acts of the 
Legislature that assembled under your widely commended ad- 
ministration, was the one that provided for a monument to the 
memory of Thomas Chittenden. 

The people of Williston having determined upon a public 
dedication of the monuuient, the conmiissioners appointed by 
law for its construction desire to avail themselves of the oppor- 
tunity to transfer their work so far as possible to the State of 
Yermont. 

Upon the passage of the law, the town of Williston prompt- 
ly placed the required sum in the hands of the commission, the 
income thereof to be devoted to the care of the monument and 
of the grounds. 

Mr. Henry Root, one of the commissioners, a native of Wil- 
liston, but a resident of San Francisco, gave the grounds upon 
which the monument stands and has contributed in other ways 
most liberally to its completion — in all, over i^lSOO. Mr. Ed- 
ward A. Chittenden was also a liberal contributor. 

The design was made by Mr. J. C. White of San Francisco, 

under the direction of Mr. Henry Root, and was accepted by a 

majority of the commission. The material is of Vermont granite 

and its construction was entrusted to Messrs. Marr i.*e Gordon of 

■ Barre, and has given satisfaction to all concerned. 



21 

I aiu (lirecred hy the ('(.luniission, within tht- limitations of 
the huv, to now transfer to the State of A'erniont, tlirou-;h you, 
as governor, this completed monument, to honor and [lerpetuate 
the memoi-y of Thomas (Miittenden, our first and loni;- time 
o-overnoi', a man who lived not alone for his time and o-enera- 
tion, for all thronuh his writiiiiis and ])ul)lic addresses we find 
that he liad an intense desire that the form of i;'overnment and 
institutions wliieli lie liad so large a share in formino-, and that 
the sjurit of patriotism which animated him and liis associates, 
should he handed down to posterity, even to the latest generations. 

Could he 1)6 with us to-day he would see his fondest aspira- 
tions I'ealized. 

The forms of government have heen hut little changed. 

The judiciary ])ossess tlie confidence and trust of the people 
to an extent never before exceeded. 

The ])eople have advanced in intelligence, civilization, 
Christianity, and, if it were possible, in ])atriotism and love of 
<-ounti'y. 

In the days of Thomas Chittenden and '7<>, Gen. l>urgoyne 
described the Green Mountain Boys as "a gathering storm" on 
his left. 

In the days of '(il, the 34,000 men who went forth from 
this State; proved that Vermont was still a gathering stoian on 
the tiank of every foe of fi-eedom, and that love of libei-fv was 
not a lost attril)ute in the character of \'ermont. 

You, youi-self, are a living witness, for impelled by a patriot- 
ism worthy of the best and bravest of oui- fathers, you iiave 
offered your life on fields of battle, and there given your good 
right arm, that the republic might live. 



22 



GOV. WOODBURY'S ACCEPTANCE. 



Gov. Barstow : 

In obedience to the desire of the people of tliis State that 
some fitting recognition sliould be made of the long and distin- 
guished services of Thomas Chittenden, the first governor of 
Vermont, the Legislature of 1894 made a suitable appropriation 
for the purpose of erecting a monument near his last resting 
place. The dutj of selecting the design for and erecting the 
monument was committed to five commissioners of whom you 
are the honored chairman. How well the conmiissioners have 
performed the duty assigned them those who now behold this 
beautiful structure will gladly testify. In behalf of the people 
of Yermont I accept the monument and thank the commission- 
ers for their loving and highly satisfactory services. To no one 
more than to Gov. Chittenden are we indebted for the goodly 
heritage that we possess to-day. But I do not propose to speak 
of his services— that will be done by a more eloquent tongue 
than mine. To myself is assigned the simple duty, which I do 
now, as governor of the State of Yermont, in behalf of the peo- 
ple, receive this monument and declare it dedicated to the hon- 
ored name and memory of Thomas Chittenden. May it endure 
as long as tiie granite hills from which it was taken, a lasting 
tribute from a grateful people. 



23 



UNVEILING THE MONUMENT. 



At tlie close of Gov^ WoodI)ury's renuu-ks a patriotic selec- 
tion was I'endered by the band and as the last note died away the 
section of artilleiw, stationed in a tiold opposite the cemetery, 
tired the first ^'nn of a i^-overnor's salnte, and the monument, 
which lip to this time had been covered with United States 
tlags, was unveiled by Miss Bessie B. Chittenden of New York, 
representing the descendants of Governor Chittenden, amid the 
applause of the audience and the saluting of the troops. 

Ex-Gov. Barstow then pi-esented the orator of the day, Ex- 
Gov. John AV. Stewart of Middlebury, saying : 

The committee in charge have made a most happy selec- 
tion for their orator. His grandfather was with Montgomery at 
Quebec and Stark at Bennington. He has been four times 
speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives ; eight years 
in Congress, and two years governor, and has constantly grown 
in the respect and esteem of the people. He has performed all 
the duties of these high ottices, not only with cons]ncuous al)il- 
ity, l)ut with faithfulness and fidelity. I have the honor to pre- 
sent Hon. John W. Ste wart of Middlebury. 



24 



EX. -GOV. STEWART'S ADDRESS. 



As in plant life the natnre of the genu and the condition 
of its genesis and develoimient determine its ultimate quality, so 
in national life the character of its beginning gives impression to 
all its after history, however modified hj new and ever-changing 
conditions. Vermont strikingly illnstrates this principle. Her 
early history is intensely dramatic, and, at the same time, intensely 
real. In tliis opening drama of her history there was but one 
act, and there was nothing done for scenic effect. There were 
no gay tournaments with on-looking lords and ladies, no waving 
of pennons and gay banners, no blare of trumpets, no plumed 
knights clad in shining armor, no mock contests for a wreatli of 
victory. Our fathers were acting in no mimic scene. Through 
trackless forests they had Ijlazed a path for civilization in a virgin 
field. Here they wrought with axe, saw and hammer, until in 
favored portions of the State along the l)orders and in fertile 
valleys comfortable homes appeared, comnninities were formed, 
and the wilderness blossomed and gave place to thrifty and 
peaceful husbandry. These settlements had been made under 
grants from Governor Wentworth, who held his office under 
a commission of the English King. New York challenged the 
validity of the grants, claiming jurisdiction under a charter of 
that colony to the Duke of York. If the claim of New York 
had been simply one of civil jurisdiction to the Connecticut 
River, no controversy would have arisen and the State of Yer- 
mont would never have existed, for at that time the inhabitants 



25 

of the iiTiUits were iiiditiY'i-eiit as to that (juestioii. But New 
Voi'k went a stej) fui-ther, and, claiiniiii;' that WeiitwortlTs grants 
were wholly void, deinaiided of the settlers re-j)aviuent and re- 
j)urchasc' of their lands with extortionate fees to the i;-reed_v New 
York otiicials. 

Time forl)ids a detailed rehearsal of that historic eontroversy, 
which raii'ed in one form and another nearly twenty-six years and 
terminated finally by the admission of Vermont into the Union 
in 171>1. 

The real hirth of Vermont, however, does not date from its 
admission into the Union, but from the hour that she joined issue 
with New York in heroic resistance of the hitter's inicjuitous 
claim. 

In the hjng interval between that hour and the time of her 
admission she was, in fact, an independent State. She ceased 
to be a British colony (if she ever was) before the declaration of 
independence. 

She denied all allegiance to New York and maintained her 
denial by force, and so she stood alone, without a name and with- 
out organization, state or colonial. 

After a lapse of nearly one hundred years since the death of 
Thomas Chittt'nden,the first governor of A^M-mont, dui'ing which 
period several generations of her sons and daughters have been 
born and died, the recent action of the legislature, making pro- 
vision for a worthy memorial to ])erj)etuate tlu' memory of his 
eminent character and public service, may seem a too tardy rec- 
ognition of their inestimable worth ; lint this long delay, as it 
seems to me, serves oidy to emphasize the esteem and veneration 
in which Vermonters of this day hold the name of their tirst and 



26 

greatest governor. It is a name lustrous with good deeds and 
noble, unselfish and successful public service. It brightens with 
time. It is embodied in the history of the heroic age of Vermont. 
Indeed, it may be termed an epitome of that history, for he was a 
part of it, and his tact and wisdom and statesmanship were most 
conspicuous and controlHng factors in shaping and guiding the 
scattered and incoherent social elements of that time into a form 
of orderly, constitutional government. 

It seems to be wisely ordered by that Divine Providence 
which keeps watch over tiie destinies of men and nations that 
the needs of great social and national emergencies are somehow 
provided for at the very time of stress. As in the huuian body 
there is what physiologists call vis ■medicatrix, — the healing 
force which resists and overcomes disease, knits broken bones, 
heals wounds, so in the body politic there is a like mysterious 
force by Divine appointment which wars against social evils and 
political wrongs and makes for public health. 

The treatment required may l)e mild, as by reason, or moral 
suasion, education, enlightenment; or the ills may be so deep-seated 
as to require heroic methods. Then comes revolution and much 
violence and blood-letting ; yet, however the change comes, it is 
always by human agency and under leadership. The leader 
may seem to be the author of the popular movement, but it is 
only wlien the leader is the exponent of the many that he can 
win success. If he moves prematurely and out of time, he fails 
and drops into the category of either fanatic or disturber or 
traitor. Unsuccessful rebellion breeds traitors, so-called, how- 
ever worthy their cause. 



But wlu'ii times are ripe for great changes the man for llie 
liour always appears. Luther did not create the conditions 
which made the great reformation of his century possible, hut 
he was its living exponent. The English people had outgrown 
compliance with the unauthorized exactions of kingly preroga- 
tive when Cromwell appeared and end)odied the national pro- 
test. 

AVhat national stress could surpass that which confronted 
the thirteen colonies on the 4tli of July, 177r», when, without an 
army or navy, or a treasury, they flung the gauntlet of defiance 
in the face of England, rich in all the material a[>pliances and 
sinews of war ( 

Among all the sons of men there was but one for the emer- 
gency. Washington was our Moses, divinely a})pointed, as I 
think, to lead his people out of the wilderness of war and sub- 
jection to complete national independence. 

So Lincoln, the second Washington and only second to him, 
whose tact, unselfish devotion and unfailing wisdom guided the 
ship of state safely through that awful storm of civil wai-, re- 
ceiving the martyr's crown while the cry of tinal victory was 
ringing through tlu; land — Lincoln was the exponent of the best 
feeling and [)atriotic ])urpose of all loyal citizens. 

So in the great emergencies of the war military leaders were 
needed. One after another had l)een tried and had failed. The 
outlook was gloomy indeed. Then appeared Grant and Sher- 
man and Thomas and Sheridan and Farragut, and the confeder- 
acy vanished from the scene. 

It is impossible to estimate the characters of public men 
save in the liffht of the historic events into which their lives have 



28 

-entered. The character of men is the two fold product of natural 
endowment and surrounding conditions. For the most part 
men do not create opportunities ; successful men are those who 
seize upon opportunities as they come and make tlie most of 
them. 

Napoleon in a time of universal peace would liave left no 
name in history. Washington, a generation later, would have 
l)een locality known only as a respected Virginia planter; yet it 
remains true always that he who "acts well his part ■' and proves 
his title to commanding leadership in the " times that try men's 
souls," when great interests are at stake, social, moral or national, 
such an one is entitled to l)e called a great man. 

This is true at all times, but especially so in the unsettled and 
turbulent period which precedes and attends the creation and 
organization of a State out of the raw matei'ial afforded by scat- 
tered and independent settlers such as composed the population 
of the New Hampshire Grants from 177<) to 1791, when Ver- 
mont was admitted into the Union. 

The outbreak of the war with England had diverted the 
attention of the parties from the New York controversy. The 
patriotic settlers had rallied to the call for resistance to the 
tyranny of England. In May, 1775, Allen at the head of a few 
braves had taken Ticonderoga. Both Allen and Warner had 
joined with a body of militia in the expedition to Canada, which, 
with some In'illiant successes, finally resulted in disastrous re- 
treat, Allen having in a rash attack on Montreal l)een taken pris- 
oner and transported to England, where he remained nearly two 
years. The retreat of the American forces left Canada to the 
English and Lake Cham})lain and the whole western frontier 



•21) 

()])en to atturk hv tlu' IJritisli aii<l tlieii- Indian allies. At this 
l)oint of history (ittv. Chittenden is l)i-oni;ht into the eenter of 
the movenuMit which I'esnlted in an open deelaration of tlie in- 
de[)endenee of \"ei"niont and the oriianization of a State govern- 
ment, in which events lie was the most eommandini;' figure; and 
this hrings us to more i)articnlar statement of his i)revious his- 
tory. 

lie was born in (Juilford, (,'onn., .lanuary HI, IT-'JO. His 
father was a farmei- and he followed the same calling, receiving 
only the limited education afforded by the connnon schools of 
that period. His l)old and adventurous spirit appeared when at the 
age of seventeen he made a voyage to the AVest Indies. The vessel 
in which he sailed was captured by a French cruiser, the colonies 
l)eing then involved in the war 1)etween France and the mother 
country. He was left upon one of the West Indies islands and 
after great hardsliip, particulars of which are not recorded, made 
his way home and resumed his employment on his fatlier's farm. 
His unfortunate voyage cured him of desire for a sailor's life, 
and, as Chipman in his life of Gov. Chittenden says, he deter- 
mined "never again to leave his plow to go ploughing in the 
deep." 

I quote from the same author: "lit; continued on the farm 
with his father until October 4, 1749. About this time he 
married Eli/abeth Meigs, and soon after removed to Salisbury in 
Connecticut, at that time a pioneer town in the northeast part of 
Connecticut, the adjoining county a practical wilderness." Chip- 
man savs: "He thus made a Yankee settlement, married early 
and began to move." I )etails of his life here are wanting, but 
that he ranked amoiiir the tii'st in the esteem of his neighbors is^ 



30 

evidenced by the fact that he represented tlie town in the Leo;is- 
lature in the years 1765, ^G6, '67, '68, '69 and '72. He was also 
colonel of a militia regiment and a jnstice of the peace until he 
removed to Vermont. 

It should l)e noted that the latter office was held in nnich 
higher esteem in those days than now. Nor is it too much to say 
the same of all civil offices, the theory and practice then being 
the man for the office, and not the office for the man ! It may be 
safely assumed that Gov. Chittenden's industry and frugality in 
the management of his Salisbury farm were justly rewarded; for, 
fear of Indian depredations in the north having abated l)y the 
cession of Canada to England in 1763, the attention of people in 
the other settlements was directed to the New Eldorado, the fer- 
tility of whose lands had been noted by the men who had tra- 
versed this region in various military expeditions. The enter- 
prising spirit of Gov. Chittenden caught tlie infection. He joined 
his neighbor, Jonathan Spatford, and purchased a large tract of 
land on "Onion River," as it was then called, the division of 
wdiich gave each a valuable farm. In the month of May, 1774, 
Gov. Chittenden removed his family on to this farm, Chipman 
says, "without having prejjared any shelter for them." How- 
ever that may be, at the end of two years he had acquired abun- 
dant appliances for good living. His rich alluvial lands had re- 
sponded to and rewarded his industry b}^ yield of ample crops 
and the way seemed open to a quiet and peaceful life amid fertile 
fields redeemed from a wilderness by great labor and self-denial. 

But the retreat from Canada left his new home open to 
attack and depredation by the savage allies of the English. 



31 

Gov. Oliitti'iuk'ii went to Pliila(leli)liia to asctTtaiii if Con- 
gress wouUl or could protect the northern frontier. Conj^ress was 
powerless to <;-ive relief. He returned and decided to remove 
his family and al)andon his farm. 

Cliipman says : "The whole family, inchidin<;' women and 
children, went on foot, hy marked trees, through Middlehury to 
Castleton, their provisions and clothing being carried on two 
horses." 

They made their way through Castleton toDanhy, where he 
purchased or rented a farm, remaining thereuntil after the evacu- 
ation of Ticonderoga in Jnly, 17TT, when he removed to Pow- 
nal, wliei'e he resided at the time of the Battle of iiennington in 
August of that year. xVhout this time he was made President of 
the Council of Safety, wlii(;h remained in perpetual session until 
after the surrender of J3urgoyne, when he purchased a farm in 
Arlington, where he continued to reside until 17^7, when he re- 
turned to Williston. 

His removal from Williston marked the beginning of his 
public service to the State. The hour was about to strike which 
called for leadership of marked and peculiar (jualit)'. It was not 
the time foi- the ambitious, self-seeking ofiice hunter. Neither 
glory nor gain was in sight. A hai'dy and brave set of plain 
farmers wei-e in death struggle for home and country. They 
were a unit in a supreme [)ur[)ose of self-defense, but without 
government other than town meetings and connnittees of safety. 

They were for the Union, but not of it. England threatened 
all along the Iwrdei-s on both sides. New York was hostile. 
Congress was deaf to all ai)peal for recognition c)r admission. 



32 

Never was a l)rave people so liarrassed. They had endured and 
suffered untold hardships. 

Some of their best and bravest had fallen in the struffo-le for 
the connuon cause at Bennino-ton, at Hubbardton and alono- the 
line from St. John's to Quebec. They had been hunted by sav- 
ages and driven from burning homes, and yet they stood alone, 
steadfast as their everlasting hills. 

For the most part tliey were plain farmers. Very few of 
them, indeed, had received what is termed a "pul)lic education." 
Yet they were thoroughly grounded in the fundamental princi- 
ples of free government. As well as the authors of the great 
Declaration of Independence, they understood their natural rights 
and in the face of all opposition were ready evej-ywhere and at 
all times and at every hazard to maintain them. 

The New York controversy, which had somewhat abated 
during the common resistance of Burgoyne's invasion, revived in 
intensity. Gov. George Clinton was unrelenting in his deter- 
mination to maintain the jurisdiction of that State, including the 
validity of all titles with grants therefrom, which covered more 
than a million and a half acres. A^ast tracts to favored individ- 
uals, in one case more than 15,000 acres of the fairest portion of 
what is now Addison county, had been granted in order to per- 
petuate and extend the system prevalent in that State of a landed 
aristocracy — an evil which culminated there in the anti-rent war- 
fare a few years since, and the ill effects of which have not yet 
wholly disappeared. Apart from the threatened overthrow of 
existing titles uiuler the New Hami)shire grants, this system was 
abhorrent to the spirit of New Englanders, who i-ightly judged 
that a citizenship of indei)endent freeholders, rather than one 



33 

based lai-i;ely oii tenaiicv and class (listinctioii, i'u^Ili^^le(l surer 
fdiindatiou for successful [Kipular ^-overuiiK'nt. For all these 
reasons, and after this long and so far successful resistance to the 
imperious demand of New York, the inhabitants stood together 
in absolute resistance. In this supreme struggle with a thi-eefold 
adversary (for passivity of Congress was dangerously adverse) 
wise leadershij) was tlie crowning need ; for the settlers, although 
OTie in spirit and ])urp()se, were scattered and incoherent. To 
bring all these elements into a foi'iii of orderly, inde])endent self- 
government, was the task. Danger must be averted, obstacles 
overcome, prejudices allayed, powerful enemies either overcome 
or out-niaiio'uvei-e(l. The successful accomplishment of this task 
required em[)loyment of patience, tact, practical wisdom, sagac- 
ity, knowledge of affairs, keen discernment of character, under- 
standing of the jM'inciples of government, diplomacy — in short, 
the gift of l)road and comprehensive statesmanship. 

I think it may be affirmed, without over-statement, that Gov. 
Chittenden possessed all the (pudities enumerated. 

Although a late comer upon the central scene of contro- 
versy, he was at once recognized as a leader and placed at the 
head of the "Council of Safety," which exercised all the func- 
tions of government, executive, legislative and judicial, until the 
establishment of the State government in 1778. The local 
affairs of townships, then as now, were managed by their res])ec- 
tive inhabitants, but matters of general welfare were left to the 
Council of Safety. 

The convention of the New Hampshire grants, at Westmin- 
ster, in fJanuai-y. 1777, unanimously adopted a declaration of the 



34 

iiidej3endeiice of the JS'ew Hampsliii-e grants, under the name 
of " Kew Connecticut." 

The report of the connnittee opened with the ringing state- 
ment that "whenever protection was withlield from a govern- 
ment, no allegiance was due or could of right be demanded," 
and Gov. Chittenden was appointed as one of the delegates to 
present the petition to Congress. 

At a subsequent convention, in June of the same year, the 
name of Vermont was adopted, and so Vermont became in name 
what in fact for many years she had been, an independent State. 
It was indeed a noble and wonderful birth through much travail. 
But the little ship of State was launched upon a stormy sea and 
needed most vigilant, watchful and skilful pilotage to luring her 
safely to harbor. 

Slie found her pilot in Gov. Chittenden. He had able and 
zealous ofiicers and a staunch and loyal crew, but he stood at the 
wheel. From this time on to the date of her admission into the 
Union the history of the infant State is the record of continuous 
struggles against the persistent and sometimes aggressive and 
threatening demands of New York ; against the neglect of Con- 
gress, which wavered and delayed action, and at times succumbed 
apparently to the overshadowing influence of ISiew York, 
and, lastly, until the declaration of peace with England, against 
the constantly impending danger to her long defenceless frontier 
from British and Indian invasion. 

This condition gave opportunity for the exercise of those 
high qualities of statesmanship so signally displayed by Gov. 
Chittenden. Stenography was then unknown, and all record of 
his utterances is forever lost. It seems certain, however, fronj 



35 

Avliat wo know of liiiii, tliat ouv wlio always acted wisely never 
paid a foolisli tliiiio-. After the adci>ti()ii of the coiistitutioii at 
the tii-st electi(»n, wlu'ii he was uiiaiiiiiioiisly chosen governor, as 
well as l)et'ore, his puhlic correspondence gives proof of the clear- 
ness of his intellect, his calm good sense, his easy and coni]>lete 
comprehension of the matter in liaiid, and his unfailing tact. 
Without pretence of I'hetorical embellishment, or of scholastic 
elegance, his style is clear, concise and cogent. He was no senti- 
mentalist. In reading him, our first thought is of his argument, 
M"hich addresses the reason and not ]>assion. He effaces himself, 
and gives language its ])roper use, which should give expression 
antl prominence to the idea rather than the anthoi-. He could 
not mislead and throw into hysterics his hearers or readers hy 
the tri(d< of concealing half ti'uths and false logic undei-a glitter- 
ing meta])hor. 

He was true to himself in every fibre. He saw straight and 
addressed the reason of men in the line of his sight in terms so 
simple and terse that they could not l)e misunderstood. These 
characteristics were noticeable in all his official utterances to 
which I have had access. Time foi'bids extended (quotations. I 
can only refer to several. 

On the 2<!tli of Api'il, 17S1, (tOv. C-hittenden addivssed a 
letter to the ])resident of Congress in reference to tln' recent ac- 
tion of the Legislature of New York instructing her delegates 
in Congr'?ss to press for active congressional intci'\ cntioii in her 
behalf as against Vermont, and making thivat of resort to force 
for |)i'esei'vati(in of hei' authority. This letter is bi'ief, dignified 



36 

and to the point, and I quote and endorse what Gov. Hall in his 
early history of Vermont says of it, as follows : 

'' The letter presents the unfair and inconsistent conduct of 
New York in a clear light, and for close logical argument and 
cutting sarcasm it will l)e difficult to find a State paper which is 
its superior." This connnendation from such a man as Gov. Hall 
is high indeed, and I think only just. Gov. Chittenden's letter 
to Washington of November, 1781, contains a clear statement of 
the history of the famous episode of the diplomatic negotiations 
with Gen. Haldimand of the British army, who understood the 
desperate situation of the grants, standing alone and threatened 
on every side, threatened by New York, and rebuffed b}^ Con- 
gress, and tortured by ever-impending danger of British 
invasion. Men in English councils sought to take advantage of 
this condition, and by promise of favorable exchange of pris- 
oners, and the withliolding of invasion, hoped to lure Vermont 
from allegiance to the cause of nidependence and bring her into 
loyal subjection to the British Crown. Overtures were made by 
them to that end by letter. To this no rep]}' w^as made, but 
Congress was advised of the step. Congress did nothing. Gov. 
Chittenden and his advisors agreed, in view of the great dangers 
of the situation, to amuse the British agents by negotiations 
which should encourage the enemy with hope of ultimate suc- 
cess. Interviews were held, favorable exchange of prisoners 
effected, but definite determination of the main point was 
avoided and postponed, pending which invasion was stayed, until 
finally, at a critical moment, when British patience was exhausted 
and conclusive action was demanded, the defeat of Cornwallis 
and the dawn of })eace ended the diplomatic war, conducted on 



our side wirh coiisuiuiiiate skill, a successful ami ctVectivo, and the 
only nicthod then possible of averting- a devastating invasion. 
Gov. Chittenden states the gist of the matter in a single phrase 
of his long and comprehensive history of the proceeding con- 
tained ill his letter to AVashington. I quote : 

" Vermont, thus drove to desperation hy the injustice of 
those who should have heen her friends, was obliged to adopt 
policy in the room of ])ower." Under liis guidance Yankee 
policy overmatched the enemy, and the hand of invasion was 
stayed. In this letter he refers to the withdrawal of the P.ritish 
forces from Crown Point and Ticonderoga in October, 17s I, in 
this facetious way : They were "man(euvered out of their ex- 
pedition and were returned into winter cpiarters in Canada with 
great safety. That it might be fnltilled which was siioken by 
the ])ropliet, ' I will put a hook in their nose and turn them back 
by the way which they came and they shall not come into this 
city (alias Vermont) saith the Lord.'" Even the grave com- 
mander-in-chief must have smiled at this Iiuiik.i-ous statement by 
Gov. Chittenden of the effect of his diplomacy. 

The skill and adi-oitness displayed by Gov. Chittenden and 
his associates in meeting, batHing and finally discomfitinii' all 
adversaries during the formative and trying pei'iod of our his- 
tory may well challenge the admiration of mankind. 

Gov. Chittenden was the moving s|)irit in ^ecul•in^• the 
declai-ation of the independence of the State, and was a member 
of the committee which i-ep(n-ted that measure. lie clearly .-aw 
the advantage of that coui'se. W-rmont stood alone; she should 
therefoi-e o])enly declai-e an e.xisting fact. This stci) was a nec- 
essary preliminai-y to the formation of a state u'ovi'rmneiit. In 



38 

the convention which framed and a(hipted the constitution Gov. 
Chittenden was a conspicuous and iniiuential leader, and at the 
ensuing election in 1778 he was chosen the first governor and 
was unanimously elected until 1797, with the single exception of 
1789, when there was no choice by the people and Moses Rol)in- 
son was chosen by the Legislature. The next year, however, he 
w^as elected by a large majority. Our fathers evidently regarded 
public office as a public trust for the benefit of the people rather 
thaii a decoration of the incumbent. The doctrine that experi- 
ence is a disqualification for re-election is of recent discovery. 

Certain it is, however, that Gov. Chittenden's long legis- 
lative experience in the Connecticut colony enabled him in the 
maturity of his powers, called into exercise in a new and untried 
field, from the first to take a connnanding leadership, which he 
held through all the trying conditions which succeeded until the 
State government was peacefully and securely estal)lislied. 

If the management of the grants in the condition before 
described required the utmost tact, skill and wisdom, none the 
less so did the guidance and shaping of policies under the condi- 
tions of nascent statehood. The people were loyal and liberty- 
loving. Their years of quiet independence apart from the ordi- 
nary restraints of regularly organized govermnent had had some 
tendency to generate a spirit, not of lawlessness, but rather of 
inq^atience under unaccustomed restraint, and a master mind 
was needed who knew the general temper of the people 
and what legislation would l)est suit existing social conditions. 
For it must be reniem])ered tliat, notwithstanding the fact that 
the peojDle were thoronghly imbued witli knowledge of the 
principles of civil liberty and natural rights, they had been born 



39 

and ii'ared under kiii>ily aiitliority, and jx.pidar ijovornnient was 
n(jt yet even an ex])erinient. 

All C()ntein|Hu-ary aiitli(»rities ao-ree that tliroii^li the initia- 
tory period of W'rniont history Gov. Chittenden showed con- 
summate wisdom and ahilitv. 

To run a perfect machine, duly adjusted in all its parts and 
in working order, is not ditlicult. To construct the same 
machine from crude material, i>ut its parts into adjustment and 
set it in successful operation recpiires gifts of a higher order. 
Constructive statesmanship is that of the highest order. The 
oratorical legislator does his work with his month, in speeches 
generally never spoken bnt pi-inted for home consumption, 
which are rarely listened to and never inliuence a vote; while the 
constructive legislator in the quiet of the committee room works 
with head and pen, the result of which is crystallized into statute 
law. 

Gov. Chittenden was of the constructive oi'der, and "his 
works do follow him." 

In contirmation of this view I venture to quote from Dr. 
Williams, a contemporary of Gov. Chittenden, and whose history 
of Vermont was ]-)ublished oidy a few years after the death of 
the latter. In his judgment of Gov. Chittenden's services and 
character he echoes that of his time. Of (tov. Chittenden he 
says: "On account of his judgment, experience and accpiaint- 
ance with the manner and disposition of the people, matured hy 
observation and pi-actice, he appeared to be better (jualified to be 
their governor than any other man of that pei'iod ; and was 
prol)ably of more benefit and advantage to the State than a man 



40 

of more theoretic knowledt^e or polite accoinplisliinents would 
have l)een." 

The late venerable Gov. Hall, more familiar than any man 
of his time with the early history of Vermont, said of him : 

"The formation of the State of Vermont into a separate 
State, the successful progress of the government and its final 
■establishment against the powerful opposition of other govern- 
ments were owing, in a great degree, to the almost unerring 
foresight, unhesitating firmness and sound judgment of Thomas 
Chittenden. 

"During the whole period of his administration he exerted a 
powerful and healthy influence over the officers of the State and 
had the pleasure of witnessing the triumphant success of his 
earnest efforts in the prosperity and happiness of a faithful peo- 
ple, whose political affairs for years he had been greatly instru- 
mental in guiding." 

The late Hon. Daniel Chipman, whose eminent brother, 
Nathaniel Chipman, was Gov. Chittenden's contemporary, in his 
life of the latter says : 

"He seldom took one step in reasoning on au}^ subject, but 
his ])receptions were so keen and his mind so comprehensive 
that he took a clear and full view of any sul)ject, however com- 
plex, and made a correct decision instinctively," and he quotes 
a saying of Ethan Allen of Gov. Chittenden, that " lie was the 
only man he ever knew who was sure to be right in all of the 
most difficult and complex cases, and yet could not tell or seem 
to know wdiy he was so." 

deferring to the constitutional convention of 1777, Mr. 
Chipman says : 



41 

"Those wlio jHTsoiially kiu^w (\tl.(Miitt('ii(l(Mi ]>ei-C(nv('(l that 
lu' was the master spii-it of that ImmIv. lSehh)iii has aiiv man in 
puMic a(*(inii'e(l so commandini;- an intiuenee :" and a^-ain, '• I 
have often heard -Indue Chipman (his ciiunent i)i-()ther) remark 
that he did not believe the g-overnnient (State) wouhl have been 
sustained iiad any mm hut (tov. Chittenden heen at the head 
of it." 

I cannot close this address more apiu'opriately than hy read- 
iiii;- his last address to the Le^'islature, which he met for the last 
time at its October session, ITDG. 

"Gentlemen of tlie Council and Asseml)ly : 

"So well known to you are the manifold favors and blessings 
bestowed on us as a people, by the great Ruler of the universe, 
that it would be unnecessary for me to recaj)itulate them. I 
W()uld, therefore, only observe that, but a few years since, we 
were without construction, law or government ; in a state of 
anarchy and confusion ; at war with a potent foreign power ; 
opposed by a powei'ful neighboring State; discountenanced by 
the Congress; distressed by internal dissensions; all our laiuled 
property in immiuent dangei", and without the means of defence. 

"Xow your eyes behold the happy day when we are in the 
full and uninterrupted enjoyment of a well I'egulated govern- 
ment, suited to the situation and genius of the ])eo])le, acknowl- 
edged by all the ]iowers of the earth, suj)ported by the Congress 
— at peace with our sister States, among ourselves, ami with the 
woi'ld. 

"From whence did these great blessings come;' Fi'om (bid. 
Are they not wortli enjoying^ They surely ai'e. Does it not 
become us as a ])eoplc to impi-ove them, that we may have I'ca- 



42 

son to hope that they may be continued to ns and transmitted to 
posterity 'i It certainly does. 

"Wliat are the most likely means to be taken by ns, as a peo- 
ple, to obtain this great end ? To be a faithful, virtuous and 
industrious and moral people. Does it not become us as a Legis- 
lature to take every method in onr power to encourage virtue, in- 
dustry, morality, religion and learning i I think it does. Is 
there any better method than by our own example; and having a 
sacred regard to virtue, industry, integrity and morality in all 
onr appointments of executive and judicial offices? 

"This is the day we have appointed to nominate all our sub- 
ordinate, executive and judicial officers, throughout the State, for 
the present year. The people, by free suffrages, have given us 
the power, and in us they have placed their confidence; and to 
God, to them, and to our consciences we are answerable. Suffer 
me then as a father, as a friend, and as a lover of this people, 
and as one whose voice cannot be much longer heard here, to 
instruct you, in all your appointtnents, to have regard for none 
but those who maintain a good moral character — men of integ- 
rity, and distinguished for wisdom and abilities; in doing this, 
yon will encourage virtue, which is the glory of the nation, and 
discountenance and discourage vice and profaneness, which are 
a reproach to any people." 

This sounds like a last message of a loving father to his 
beloved children. It shows the heart of the man and portrays 
his character. Its pathos, its simplicity, its wisdom, its spirit of 
loyal, nnseltish patriotism, its clear conception of the virtues 
essential to the noblest citizenship and its solemn and impressive 
injunction to their practice all together constitute a rich legacy 



43 

to us and all coniini>- generations of the State lie served so faith- 
fully and loved so well. These imperishable Avords are the 
befitting crown of his noble service. 

Could he visit these once familiar scenes and speak to this 
assemblaffe a;athered to honor his memory, methinks he would 
repeat his wise and loving injunction of 179<) as a memorial 
more precious to him and more enduring in its beneficent re- 
sults than any symbol (d' marble or granite we can fashion ; for 
the guardianship of our ]n-iceless inheritance is in the hands of 
the living, and only by the ceaseless vigilance of the living and 
bv the practice of the virtues which his life illustrated and he 
commended can that inheritance be preserved and made per- 
petual. 

AVe dedicate this memorial to the memory of Thomas Chit- 
tenden, not for his sake— lie needs none, for his name and good 
works are enshrined in imperishable history — but rather as a 
token of our grateful and undying appreciation of his inspiring 
example, his lofty character, his eminent virtues, his loyal devo- 
tion, his unselfish patriotism and his inestimable service to our 
beloved State. And so, in this home wrought by his hand out 
of the wilderness, and where on the 25tli of August, 1707, he 
laid down the burden of a noble life, may this monument stand to 
all coming generations. May itstand not only as a sacred memo- 
rial of the honored dead, but also as an abiding pledge of renewed 
allegiance to the faith and virtues of the fathers, whose heroic 
valor and endurance carved this model republic of (.iirs out of the 
heart of the untrodden wilderness. It has always been the home 
of freedom and the nursery of freemen. May her sons and 
daut^hters ever stand like a wall of fire against the infiux of evil, 



44 

and the inroad of every form of pernicious political heres}' at 
variance with a system established and approved by the fathers, 
and tested by successful trial. So, while yonder green mountains 
shall stand, silent, encircling sentinels over this beautiful valley 
may the lionor and good name of our beloved State remain un- 
tarnished ! 

Gov. Barstow next introduced Hon. Lucius E. Chittenden, 
great-grandson of Governor Thomas Chittenden and Registrar 
of the Treasury under President Lincoln, in the following happy 
manner. 

" The ancients said that ' blessed is the wise man for his 
children shall stand before kings.' Many of Thomas Chitten- 
den's descendents have added honor to a name already honorable. 
We are fortunate in having one of tliem with us to-day, who, 
although he may not have stood before kings, has stood before 
Abraham Lincoln, greater than any king, and was entrusted by 
him with high and responsible duties. 1 have great pleasure in 
presenting Hon. Lucius E. Chittenden of New York city." 



45 



MR. CHITTENDEN'S REMARKS. 



[The leiiiitli and interest of the pn.oraninie made the deliv- 
ery of the whole of the oh.servations prepared by Mr. L. E. 
Chittenden inipracticahle. They are now, with the approval of 
the chairman, pi'inted withont omission.] 

Mr. Chairman, Vermonters, men and women of my native 
toion : 

Standing beside his grave, grassed with the turf of a hun- 
dred years, tlie people of the State he loved have gathered to 
honor the memory of Thomas Chittenden. In the light of 
history let us for a few moments, study the lesson of his life. 

He was born in Guilford, Connecticut, on the sixth of Jan- 
uary, 1730, in the fourth generation from Major William Chit- 
tenden, who, after honorable service in the "Thirty years' war," 
witli twentv-four of his Kentish neighbors, settled in and around 
Guilford, in July, 1639. Like other boys of the time, the edu- 
cation of young Thomas was imperfect, for he could get it only 
after the counsels of the jirophet, "prece])t u})on precept, line 
upon line, here a little and there a little." But it served him, 
for he could and did write a good constitution, though his or- 
tliograi)hy was very inaccurate. At the age of eighteen he 
made a trading voyage to the AVest Indies, but his vessel was 
captured by a French privateei', which, after confiscating the 
vessel and cargo, left him with the crew upon ;i barren island, 
whence, after great ]»rivations he made his way home and closed 



46 

the nautical chapter of liis life. Then he did the best thing he 
could have done, — he married Elizabeth Meigs, a wholesome, 
industrious New England girl, lovely in inind and person, who, 
as long as he lived was his counsel and his helpmate, his strong 
stay and his sweetheart — a true wife and a model mother. They 
went to live in Salisbury, in that stony corner county of Litch- 
field, Connecticut, which has given to the country more eminent 
men and foundei's of distinguisiied families than any other two 
counties in it. There, he soon became the colonel of a regiment, 
member of the Assembly, the friend of all who were in trouble, 
the leader of his town. There he was blessed in his basket and 
in his store and in the fruits of his body — for there were four 
sons and six daughters boi'n to him and to a training and inher- 
itance which brought every one of them to maturity and fitted 
them to become progenitors of families in their turns. 

It is a legend in the family, that Colonel Chittenden once 
led the pursuit of a party of savages, returning to Canada with 
their captives and booty l)y the Indian trail up the Connecticut 
and White rivers and down the AVinooski to its mouth, where 
the captives were rescued. Returning, he encamped for a night 
on the bench of land where afterwards stood the Governor's 
brick house. In the morning there was before him a scene of 
singular beauty. In his front lay the unwooded intervale, car- 
peted with ferns and wild flow^ei's, — beyond it a virgin wood of 
maple, beech and birch, of ])ine and other evergreens, rising by 
successive ridges to the mountain range. Hanked by giant senti- 
nels ; Mansfield and the Sleeping Lion. Just northward from the 
latter was a valley, and down it, leaping over rocky falls, rushing 
through foaming rapids, spai-kling in the suidight, came to the 



iiitervak', tlie silverv "Winooski, and tlieii, tiowiiii;- <jiiietly l>e- 
tweeii fertile hanks it disai)peaie(l on the way to its outlet into 
the most lovely lake on the continent. " It is almost a ])aradise,*' 
he thought. "If the time comes when 1 can get a title, this 
intervale and ii])land shall he mine! Here I will hnild my 
house and my sons shall he settled around niel" It was nearly 
ten years later when he i)urcliase(l it. In the s])i-ini;' of 1773, he 
came with two hired men, made and fenced a clearini;-, planted a 
crop, huilt a lo"- house, and leaving- his men to cultivate the 
ground, went hack to Salishury for his family. 

How the ten childi'en, farming tools and furniture were 
taken to* "Whitehall, we do not know. But we do know that 
there he hired a hoat and men, put his family and goods on hoard, 
came down the lake to the mouth of what was then a navigahle 
stream and ascending it placed them in their new home without 
accident or mueh fatigue in tin; early days of June, 1774. 

llei'c they lived in hapi)iness and content for almost two 
years. Then the war of the revolution came. lie was, with a 
few scattered neighbors on the remote fi-ontier. The enemy 
would invade it — their savage allies would range over it to kill, 
burn and plunder. There was no help for it. He was a patriot 
and he must go. 

Then, not in the duck pond, as you have lieai-d, hut in a 
knoll of dry sand near the pond, he l)uried his fai-ming and other 
tools, and such of his goods as he could not carry, and placing the 
others and the younger childi-en on the hacks of his horses and 
oxen, they left thcii- home, and lollowing a line of marked trees 
went nearly one hundred miles across the mountains t(t I)aid)y, 
whei'e he rented and heiran to cultivate a t'ai-m. 



48 

But Providence had otlier work for Thomas Chittenden. 
He now becomes a part of the history of Vermont. He is made 
by common consent tlie leader of the settlers. He is preseiit at 
every convention or pnhlic meeting, usually its chairman. A 
cliaracteristic event haj^pens before his first winter in Danby. 
The tories of Arlington have fled and left their families to starve. 
He visits them, and at once resolves to remove thither. He does 
so. Then he goes from house to house, taking a strict account 
of the food of each family. He makes a list of the number of 
pei'sons in each and he divides the food faii'ly among them. 
There is scarcity l)ut no starvation, until a new crop is harvested. 
It is said that those who had a surplus, sulmiitted to the division 
without a mui'mur, though they were loyal and their food went 
to tory families. They were willing to trust Thonias Chittenden. 

I cannot follow his history. All that I have time for is to 
mention some incidents which illustrate his character. He had 
been to Windsor and helped to make your first constitution, one 
of the grandest state papers ever written. Tiie Council of Safety 
had been appointed and he was made its chairman. He called 
tlie council together for the first time at Manchester. It was the 
darkest hour of the revolution. St. Clair, either a coward oi' a 
traitor, had run away from Ticonderoga. Warner had been de- 
feated at Hubbardton. Francis had fallen thei-e, and the scat- 
tered Vei'monters were coming in at Manchester. The council 
had been for hours in session. Spencer, one of its members, had 
deserted to the enemy. Everybody was discoui'aged ? No! 
When all the others said that a new regiment could not he raised, 
for the settlers were utterly exhausted, and had no means to i)ay 
even for their clothing or ammunition, then their President 



41 1 

iiiiule one oi his sensible ohservations. "The men must he 
raised," lie said, "i)c»t>r as we arel I have ten head of rattle, and 
my wife has a ij-old neeklaee. It is an heirloom, hut we will 
Iie^in witli the cattle and the neeklaee! Then the l^ord will 
show us what to do!" And he did. The next moniinu- Ini Allen 
hrouii'ht foi'ward his j)lan of confiscating the estates of the tories 
who had run away and the money was raised without sacrificini>- 
the necklace. 

How he guided the council and the still unorganized state 
through that battle summer is a bi'ight page in Vermont history. 
The convention had appointed the election in December, 1777, 
the meeting of the Assend)ly in January, 1778. But the war 
was absorbing, and the convention came together in Decend)er 
and postponed the election until March. Tiiore was no caucus, 
no nomination, but when the votes were counted Thomas 
Chitteiulen was found to be elected governor "by a large major- 
ity." Nineteen times the people re-elected him — in 1781) they 
failed. Would that I had time to tell you why I The condition 
of Vermont had been critical — never had Thomas Chittenden 
shown greater fii'mness and wisd<3m. lie had bearded Congress 
for breaking its promise t(^ admit Vermont after she had com- 
plied with the agreed conditions — he had set his heel uptm the 
attempt of the Yorkei's and their Vermont allies to revive the 
old controversy about their lands — he had ordered Ethan Allen 
to stamp out the Guilford rebellion, and approved his declaration 
that he " would make their town as desolate as Sodom and 
Gomoi'rah uidess the i)eoj)le submitted to the authority of \'er- 
mont 1" He had assisted Ira Allen who was in financial trouble, 
for he looked upon him as the preserver and benefactor of A'er- 



50 

mont; and the Yorkers, tories and Adullaniites organized to 
defeat liis election. For the oidy known time recorded, he was 
angry — thoroughly exasperated. It was not when the Legisla- 
ture elected another — it w^as wdien a committee of the faction that 
had flung him overboard, came to him with an address in which 
they asked him "to accept all that a noble and generous mind 
can give or wish to receive, our gratitude and warmest thanks." 
There was more of the trash, but he would not listen to it. With 
scorn and contempt he drove them from his presence, and if, as 
was reported, he imitated the wrath of Washington at Trenton, 
we will not believe that the recording angel wrote his words 
on the debtor side of his account. 

It mio-ht be thouo;ht unbecoming for one of his descendants 
to eulogize Thomas Chittenden, or to write why he was so 
esteemed by the patriots of his time— so loved by the people of 
Vermont. But Judge Daniel Chipman did not belong to his 
party and certainly' was not prejudiced in his favor. He shall 
speak for Vermont's tirst Governor, for while I might use more 
forcible I could not choose more kindly words. 

" Seldom," wrote Judge Chipman, " has any man in public 
" life acquired so commanding an influence, and no one ever 
" exerted his influence as he did, without impairing it * * * 
" His own kind feelings and good sense liad taught him that the 
" beneficent CREATOR has so constituted man, that he is not 
" necessarily rendered unhappy because others have become his 
" enemies ; that if he were thus exposed, his happiness would 
" not depend on himself, or his own good disposition and virtu- 
"ous course of life, but on the good pleasure, or rather, ill nature 
'' of others ; that if any one becomes an enemy to others, actu- 



51 

" ated l»v !i spirit of i-evcngo iiisteiul -if kiiidiK'ss, he is necessarih' 
" iiiiliappy ; aiui that, tlieivfore, to cherish t'ecliiio's of kiiKhicss 
" to nil, (loiiii;- i;do(l t(» those who liate us, is acting- agreeably to 
" tlie hiws of natiii-e. 

" (Tovenied by these Christian priii<M])h's, and actuated by 
"a disposition naturally benevolent and kind, seeking the wel- 
" fare ot all, no wonder that he accjiiired a great and enduring 
" popularity." 

1 lia\e therefore no fear of critieisin when I say that 
Thomas Chittenden was a prudent, judicious, and caj)able man, 
but he was also a good Christian man who strove to obey the 
two commandments, and es[)ecially the second, "'Thou shalt love 
thy neighbor as thyself I " Well he knew that there was " none 
other commandnuMit greater than these." 

My Felloui Tonmsmen : 

At this moment my heai't is full to the overflow. Vondei'I 
two nnles away, on the old homestead of the govei'uoi", watered 
by the silvery AVinooski, in a glorious landscape of mountain, 
river, forest and intervale, lAvasl)orn to a happv childhood and 
youth. Nearer, and only a mile awaj^, stood the "old red school 
house" where my edueatiou began. All ai-ound were the homes 
of the Taylors, the Thomjisous, the Bradleys, Chapins, Ihish- 
nells. Fays and (Mai'ks and other friends whose memories are 
fragrant with affection. I can almost see tlie house where lived 
"Uncle" Jo I)radley, wIhj htaued me my lirst book in natural 
history, and taught me to love the birds and all (lod's ci'eatures, 
a pursuit which has bei'ii tlie great pleasure of my life. Nearer, 
yet, is that (4od's acre, whei'e rest four genei'ations of my family. 



52 

and wliitliei 1 have followed a kind father, a lovino; motiier, and 
three sisters, one of whom was known to so many of jon ; a 
very Dorcas " full of good woi-ks and alms-deeds wliifh she 
did." From these qniet scones, I, a boy in years, went out into 
the active life of the bnsy world. Now when I have passed the 
days of our years which are three-score years and ten, I have 
come back to the town of my nativity, to renew my earliest 
friendships and take a pai't in this interesting tribnte to my 
honored ancestor. It is not strange that in snch an lionr 
thoughts crowd upon me that 1 cannot express. 

And I remen)l)er a Willistoii boy, some years my junior, 
whose father though poor in purse was rich in integrity, who 
from the same "old red school house" went out into the 
world and a life of usefulness. He became an eminent civil 
engineer. He was the inventor of the cable railroad — he ac- 
quired wealth as well as reputation, and, true Vermonter as he 
is, has come back to the home of his childhood to give the site 
of this monument and by other contributions to connect his 
name inseparably with its erection. All honor then to Henry 
Root, a worthy son of Williston and a true (Ireen Mountain 
Boy. 

Fellow Vermonters ! Why has the memory of Thomas 
Chittenden survived for a century ? Wli}' does Vermont seek 
its perpetuity ? Why do you bring your children here to assist 
in the dedication of this monument in the imperishable granite 
of the everlasting hills '( Tlie answer to these questions is the 
refutation of those false prophets who tell our young men that 
the integrity of our ancestors has lost its value — that moral 
principles no lon2;er influence men or control communities. 



53 

Snoli i>recopts iive more tluiii cn-oiioous — they are iiifaiiidus. In 
this, wliich may I>e my last visit to the |)hice of my nativity, 
let this my hist eoiiiisel to my feUow townsmen he, to rememher 
the lesson tauglit l)y tlie lives of Thomas Chittenden and his 
contemporaries! Be true to the principles of your ancestors. 
Follow in the footsteps of him whose monument you dedicate 
to-day I Then shall Vermont \)c in the future as she has l)eeTi 
in the past, the mother of j;ood men and statesmen! Every 
liamlet in liei- mountains shall he the mirseiw of soldiers true to 
tlu' Ihii;' of oui- Keinihiic and other centennials shall know her as 
the one State that was always true to herself, her country and 
her God ! 



At the (dose of Mr. Chittenden's remarks, He v. A. D. P>arl)er 
expressed, in a few well-chosen words, the thanks of the people 
of AVilliston to those who had home an active part in the erection 
of the monument, and to the audience foi- the p]i>asnr(^ of their 
com})any at the ceremonies of the day. 

The audience, accompanied by the hand, sani;- "America," 
after which the benediction by chaplain Goodrich brought the 
dedicatory exercises to a close. 

The troops at once begati their retui-n march to camp, and, 
after an inspection of the monument and a visit to Gov. Chitten- 
den's grave, located a few yards to the east and appropriately 
marked by a Vermont State Hag, the people departed to their 
homes 




Southwest Front. 



^: 



t 



<^j^- 





NoRTii sini': ok ki;ak viicw 




Original Stone as it appears in a good state of 

PRp;SERVATION, nearly ONE HUNDRED 
YEARS AFTER ITS ERECTION. 



Ill iiieinorv of his Kxcellen- 
cy THOMAS CHITTENDEN 
Esq., who Governed the State 
of Verinoiit from March 1771S, 
to the time of his death, August 
1797, (save one vear.) He was 
born J an '3^ 6^'' 1730. 



His was a life of usefulness; 
let those who read strive to 
iininitate his virtues. 



(fiisctiptioii oil /ri/ii/'s/oiii' I'lec/c'd i~<)~.) 










^i>^'^ 






■' -Sh*^ ^*y 



»^ '^ 






^* '*•*-. *r4 -iV' 



'/ .^V-" 



c ♦,''7 \ '> \«|ft 






LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



014 014 115 fl 






■5' 







^*:B 



